Clear Skies
by TheLastPilot
Summary: A sequel to Rainy Days. Adrien and Marinette work at getting used to their newfound knowledge of each other, and start to make things official.
1. Chapter 1

"Geeze…" Adrien muttered aloud, hanging his head over his phone and speaking to Plagg while they were temporarily alone in the hospital room. "We've been together for like… four hours? And she's already furious with me."

"You did blatantly disregard your own health to go and see her," Plagg retorted, on Marinette's side in this argument and drawing a sigh from his charge.

"I needed to see her! I had to know she was okay what is so ridiculous about that?"

Plagg sighed, shrugging his shoulders and Adrien felt the movement from the kwami's place in his jacket. "I get why you did it. She does too, doesn't mean it wasn't stupid."

Adrien frowned, replying to Marinette's concerned messages and reporting what the doctor had said so far.

'A- Nothing is broken, the ribs are just really beat up. My arm doesn't need a sling or anything, I just got a lot of instructions on how to ice the bruised bone and stuff. All the other cuts are superficial and will probably be gone by tomorrow, superhero healing remember? I'm okay Princess.'

'M- You're not in pain? Are they buying the excuse? What did you tell them?'

Her reply was so quick that he knew she must be waiting by her phone for news on how he was doing, and his heart fluttered a little.

'A- I feel a lot better now that they've bound my chest, I've been given painkillers as well. I told them I fell out of my window. So far Natalie is buying it, thinking I fell trying to sneak out or something and went to the hospital by myself to avoid getting in trouble. So at least they believe me.'

Plagg was sticking out of the top of his jacket now, whining something just before Adrien pushed send.

'A- Plagg says hi'

Adrien turned towards the door, listening carefully for anyone coming but it looked like the coast was still clear for now.

'M- Are you going to get in even more trouble now? Hi Plagg, Tikki says hi as well.'

Adrien smiled when Plagg hooted in delight, retiring back to the warmth of Adrien's jacket now that his mission was complete.

'A- I couldn't convince Natalie not to tell my dad. I told her him getting another call about me would just make him mad and that we could tell him later tonight when he gets home, but she said it needed to be done. So maybe. Luckily he was already done with work for the day and in the airport waiting to come home so she didn't interrupt anything.'

'M- I'm sorry Adrien…'

That 'sorry' said a lot of things. I'm sorry your home life is this way, I'm sorry you're hurt, I'm sorry your dad is the way he is, I'm sorry I didn't protect you.

'A- Don't be. Whatever he says this is still one of the best days of my life. Well, best day after like 11 AM and I knew you were alive. And even if he grounds me forever and tries to pull me out of school I can still sneak out and see you so whatever.'

There was a pause in the reply and he liked to imagine he had flustered her.

'M- Adrien don't get in trouble for me!'

'A- No one can keep me from seeing you if I want to, except you, so he can deal with it.'

The gap in replies was much larger and he grinned, already sensing that this would quickly become one of his favorite things to do. Say sweet, romantic things until she reverted back into an adorable stuttering mess. Making his Lady blush had always been a dream of his, and now knowing that he had done it quite a few times already made him smile.

The doctor returned with Natalie, the two of them talking about something that was of no interest to him. He would be fine soon, thanks to his miraculous, they worried over nothing. Not that he could say anything about it.

Instead of listening he started thinking again of what he would do next. Their kiss… just thinking about it made his heart stutter into a rushed tempo, but he didn't want to expect more. Well, yes he did, but he didn't want to assume that was something he could always do. He wanted to earn those kisses, and he planned to do it properly like she deserved. He was already wracking his mind for ideas for a first date, but he could feel a thin layer of sweat bead across his forehead in sudden nervousness at the thought alone.

He seriously had no idea what his hang up was, he had kissed her already and she had kissed _back_ it was safe to say she was interested. Still though, the idea of asking her out, asking out _his lady_ and his princess, it made his stomach knot in something that was almost panic.

He was terrified of making a fool of himself, of her laughing and rolling her eyes and brushing him off. He took a deep breath though, ignoring the look the adults gave him and staying wrapped up in his own thoughts.

That wouldn't happen, he knew that. Even if he barely got the words out she would smile sweetly, maybe even be a little nervous herself and say yes. Or at the very least say no nicely, but still probably yes. Right?

He repressed a sigh, irritated with himself and his uncertainty. He was just… it was a lot. He was in love with Ladybug and had come to care about Marinette quite a bit in a very short time, but now it was like there was a third _new_ person who had his heart racing. She was new, she was Marinette _and_ Ladybug and everything he had ever wanted, and now she somehow had the power to make him even more nervous than either of them had individually. She was way more real, a complete picture, and absolutely perfect…

He just wanted to see her again already, annoyed with the charade of the doctor's visit and grateful when he was finally released. It was about 6 PM, hunger gnawing at him from his extremely exhausting day, and Natalie reported in a dull voice that dinner was being prepared at home. She didn't try to scold him or anything, not blaming him for wanting to escape and check on his friends who had been attacked at the school. If he had just asked she would have most likely let him go, keeping it secret from his father so he could see if his friends were alright. Now though she was worried he would be punished even further.

'A- on the way home, I'm very alright, so don't worry about me.'

He chuckled at her fast reply.

'M- I will always be worried, especially with someone as reckless as you.'

She was still mad it would seem, but he found it funny regardless. The next message she sent directly after though made him frown.

'M- By the way if I catch you out and about as Cat Noir before you are fully healed I'll put a knot in your tail understand? No running around.'

His grimace deepened.

'A- Fine, for patrols, but if there is an akuma attack I'm going to be there.'

'M- No you aren't I can handle anything that pops up.'

'A- Absolutely not.'

'M- Adrien. Please.'

His breath caught at the sudden change in tone, her concern being conveyed even through text. She was mad, yes, but she was mostly just worried about him.

He grit his teeth, conflicted with how to respond.

He wasn't about to let her run off somewhere alone. There had been times where one of them would be fighting an akuma mostly by themselves, but almost always the other would show up. He would typically insist that he could do the fighting on his own and in some cases he felt that was true, but he knew that they operated best as a team. For some of the small time baddies the fighting was simple, but it didn't feel right doing it alone, and he would always charge into Ladybug's fights whether the gig was small time or not. She couldn't honestly expect him to let her go it alone, injuries or otherwise. Even before their identities were revealed he would have flat out refused, for this particular situation very little had changed. He was going to be there and that was that.

'A- I know you're worried, I'm not trying to dismiss that, but you've got to understand why that makes me uncomfortable. I'd hang back, let you take charge and I'd be careful, but I'm going to help you whether I'm injured or not.'

He sent it, satisfied with what he deemed a level headed response. He didn't want to fight, or make her feel like he wasn't considering how she felt, but he wanted to be there to help.

They were pulling up at the house when he got her response.

'M- Okay.'

He frowned at the simple message.

'A- Are you mad?'

The door was opened for him and he walked towards the house under the driver's umbrella, noticing that the rain was much lighter now but mostly paying attention to his phone as he made it inside and wordlessly headed for the dining hall.

His phone buzzed.

'M- No, I understand. I would do the same thing for you, I'm just worried… please ice your arm like you're meant to. Take care of yourself.'

'A- Anything for you princess, I know how much you need me ;)'

He smirked at his response, but nearly swallowed his tongue at hers, his face suddenly hot enough to light a candle

'M- I don't think you do kitty cat.'

He sat down in a daze, his eyes glassy and distant as he absorbed the statement.

As Cat Noir he could throw out cute lines left and right but now she was throwing them _back_ and he wasn't sure he could take it. It was amazing, but he had a feeling that she would be able to fluster him just as much as he did her from now on. Ultimately… it was very sweet.

'A- Don't worry, I'll be on my feet again soon. I promise I'll do as the doctor ordered.'

'M- Thank you. I'm going to have dinner, I'll text you in a bit.'

'A- No problem, I'm about to eat too, text you later'

He tucked his phone away just as food was set in front of him, and he devoured it quickly, barely looking at what it was. His exhaustion from the day was really starting to set in, especially with warm food in his stomach. He had been a bit damp from the rain for most of the day, he ached all over, and his brain was pretty worn out.

In the course of a day he was fairly certain Marinette had died, been badly injured, done some pretty intense magic with the wrong kwami in the wrong miraculous (which was contributing to the overall ache he was enduring), discovered Ladybug's secret identity, coped with that on the fly, kissed the woman of his dreams and entered what he was tentatively calling a relationship.

…that's what it was right? God he didn't know.

He was tired.

He finished eating his solitary meal, his feet echoing in the large house as he made his way upstairs. He grimaced with each step, his exhaustion and soreness making him dead on his feet. He really wanted to be in bed, just pass out and wake up the next day to go to school. He wasn't going to bother with any kind of homework since school had been canceled that day and no one had gotten any besides him since his tutors had it ahead of time for him to do during lockdown.

When he made it to his room he let Plagg out to find his stash of cheese, needing rest himself after such a long day. He stripped out of his clothes, finding something warm and dry and soft to wear before trudging to his bed.

He flopped down, regretting the action when his ribs protested, and rolled onto his back with phone in hand.

The time flashed 7:30 pm, but he knew he was going to fall asleep and didn't want to leave Marinette hanging.

'A- I will probably have to get up in a few hours when my dad gets home, but if I stay in this bed any longer I know I'm gonna pass out so I wanted to say goodnight.'

He did his best to keep an eye cracked, watching the bright screen in his pitch black room as a few minutes ticked by but he was getting dangerously close to falling asleep.

Finally after about five minutes his phone buzzed again and he smiled sleepily.

'M- I'm in the same boat, it's been a big day. Text me when you know if you'll be at school okay? Get some rest tomcat.'

'A- Yes miss.'

And just like that he was asleep, a tired Plagg crawling in and finding a warm spot out of sight and under the covers to crash in.

Adrien didn't dream, his brain was too tired and his body too beaten, it was just a hard dead sleep in which his miraculous worked steadily to curb the pain. Even with magic though it was going to be a week or so before he didn't hurt quite so much.

Sleeping so soundly made it that much worse when he found himself being woken up by his alarm, his phone going off by his head alerting him that he needed to be at school in an hour.

Groggy and confused he slowly sat up, rubbing at his face and fighting the headache that sprouted behind his eyes.

"Guess they let me sleep through…" he murmured, rolling to put his feet on the floor and yawning, stretching his arms as he did so but wincing at how stiff his left one was. He felt better definitely, but the pain was still there. He had only been up for a few seconds when he heard the intercom on his wall beep loudly, and with a confused frown he rose to answer it.

"Hello?" he called into the white box near his door, holding down the response key. It was Natalie that answered.

"Good morning Adrien, your father asked me to make sure you woke up for school. As soon as you're ready he wants to see you in his study."

"Really?" he couldn't help but ask, Natalie confirming before ending the connection.

He stood there for a moment, one hand scratching at his hair and his brain still only half awake.

That was different. It sort of made sense, he might not have set his alarm if he was expecting to still be grounded so the wakeup call was whatever, but his father wanting to see him first thing in the morning was intimidating to say the least.

He dragged himself into the shower, carefully undoing and redoing his binding across his chest as was called for. He realized with a dark humored chuckle that he was far too used to wrapping his own wounds.

He got dressed, finding a jacket with a hood since Marinette still had his umbrella and grabbed his bag and still sleeping kwami before heading out into the hall.

His footsteps seemed loud and he couldn't deny his apprehension as he wound his way towards his father's study, pausing outside the door to take a deep breath.

At least he was allowed to go to school.

"Adrien," his father's voice reached him as he entered, closing the door behind him as he was taught to do and standing in the center of the room in front of Gabriel's large dark wood desk. The man himself sat behind it, leaning on his elbows with his hands clasped in front of his face. "How are you feeling?"

…wait

Really?

"Um I'm alright father, feeling a lot better."

Adrien's surprise climbed when his father let out a small breathe, pulling off his glasses with one hand and pinching the bridge of his nose with the other.

"I didn't want to wake you when I got home, I know you needed your rest. I would insist you stay home, but since keeping you from your friends is what caused this mess I won't force it. Trying to sneak out like that was incredibly foolish, you're lucky you got away with a few bruised bones and nothing worse. I trust you won't try something so moronic again."

Adrien stared at him wide eyed for a moment before stammering, "I-I won't sir, I'm sorry."

Gabriel sighed, dark irritation on his face but Adrien was still reeling from the fact that he cared. In retrospect he doubted his father would be _that_ heartless, but he expected a 'Those bruises ought to teach you a lesson' sort of thing.

"I've ordered Natalie to be alert for any calls from the school, so if you feel discomfort at all go to the school nurse and they will call her to come get you. That is all, you may go."

"Thank you," Adrien said quickly, fleeing the room since the most discomfort he was feeling came from their prolonged conversation.

He pattered down the stairs, ignoring his aches and just getting to the car, deep in thought.

The fact that his father had checked on him personally and not just sent Natalie was bizarre, and caused a strange mix of happiness and bitterness in him. He was pleased to be acknowledged by his father, but not ignorant of the fact that it had taken being hospitalized to even get that much.

His usual feeling of numbness surrounding all dealings with his father started to creep back into place, and he started to focus on other things.

It wasn't raining.

That was a first time that had been true since Saturday night, one day short of a week of constant downpour. The skies weren't clear just yet, still heavy over the city and promising at the very least spurts of light showers for the rest of the day but his phone confirmed that the clouds were anticipated to disappear by that afternoon.

With his phone still in his hand he felt it vibrate and Marinette's contact filled the screen, making him feel a spark of warmth in his chest. Her contact photo was still blank, something he would have to fix.

'M- Good morning Adrien are you going to be at school today?'

'A- Yes don't worry, your prince will arrive soon.'

'M- Oh sh. How are you feeling?'

He snickered at her shut down, knowing she probably blushed.

'A- Much better thanks, I would have texted earlier but my dad let me sleep through the night so I didn't know I was coming until this morning, and then I was distracted.'

'M- Its okay. I'm getting coffee with Alya want anything?'

'A- I'm okay, don't worry about it.'

'M- Are you saying that because you don't want me to pay for it?'

…crap. She was too smart, he was never going to get _anything_ by her.

'A- Uhh no?'

'M- I'll get you hot chocolate.'

'A- …Fine. Thanks my lady, you're purrfect.'

'M- Oh god am I going to have to deal with your puns all the time now?'

'A- yes."

That warm feeling in his chest dominated, chasing away the numbness and leaving him giggling stupidly in the car, the school drawing near.

.

"Who are you texting? Bet you I know," Alya teased, trying to see Marinette's phone and snickering at her sudden blush.

"I was asking Adrien if he wanted anything-"

"Ooooh cuute," Alya cooed, stepping aside so her friend could order.

"So did he sneak out to see you again after the Akuma attack? Does he even know about it?"

Marinette blinked, smiling at her good fortune and going with the perfect opening.

"Yeah, except it was raining really hard… he slipped and got pretty hurt he even went to the hospital."

Alya jumped, her eyes shooting wide and proving it was the first she had heard of it. "What seriously!? Is he okay?!"

Marinette payed for the drinks, spending a little extra to make Adrien's bigger and with more chocolate. She sent him a quick text to alert him to her version of the story so he could tell it to Nino and roll with it when it came up later.

"Yeah he's doing better, but don't tackle him or anything, he bruised a few ribs. Stupid idiot didn't even go to the doctor until I told him to, he came to see me first. Apparently you spooked him pretty bad with your stream."

Alya gasped, her hands flying to her face. "He came to see you even though he got hurt!? Marinette tha-that's so _romantic_! How are you not freaking out about this still!?"

Marinette toyed with the zipper of her jacket bashfully, a bit of her usual flustered attitude resurfacing at the use of the word 'romantic'. It really had been. Plus he had been killing her with the things he had been saying, and that kiss…

She buried her face in the scarf around her neck, the action not going unnoticed and Alya jumped a bit in place. "Girl what happened!? Why didn't you tell me any of this?"

"I've been really distracted…" she answered honestly, realizing with a twinge of guilt that she hadn't really thought of anyone except for her boys, well boy, in the past while. She couldn't just push Alya to the wayside, it's just that a lot had been happening.

"Oh course you have been the boy of your dreams is _all OVER you_! There's no way he doesn't like you Marinette this is awesome I'm so happy for you!"

Marinette retreated farther into her scarf, giggling happily as she curled into Alya's sudden hug, letting herself get excited about it even if it was extremely confusing still. What were her and Adrien at this point anyways? Even if it was all convoluted and insane… she really hoped it was more than friends.

She took the drinks from the barista with a gracious bow of the head, in a rush now to see him and leaving Alya behind at first as she hurried for the school. The reporter shouted after her, her words being broken up by laughter as she tailed the love struck girl. She didn't know what it was exactly, putting it down to Adrien's influence, but she seemed different. Not totally different, but something had changed.

The steps of the school came into view and Alya was honestly unsurprised at this point to see Adrien waiting for them out front with his best friend. Nino seemed to be excited about something, teasing the blonde who was looking a little warm in the face. No one missed how much he brightened when he spotted Marinette though.

"Good morning!" he called to the both of them but his eyes were on the designer who seemed to regain just a bit of her shyness as she handed him his beverage. Even with the slight change though she was still much more confident with the boy then Nino and Alya had ever seen her.

"Good morning," Marinette responded, smiling at the boys.

"I'm glad to see you're alright after that Akuma attack, you guys had me worried," Adrien started, looking genuinely relieved when he smiled at Alya.

Nino shuddered. "It was pretty scary if I'm honest, but I knew Ladybug and Cat Noir would save the day."

Marinette and Adrien smiled at Nino's faith in them, but Alya cut in.

"Actually I'm pretty sure Cat Noir did it by himself, I never saw Ladybug."

"What seriously!? How could anyone take on that guy alone, I was down for the count the second he saw me!" Nino let out a lung full of air, shaking his head. "Man real props to the heroes out there. Taking on monsters like that is there _job_."

Alya was frowning suddenly, looking at Marinette.

"Well _some_ of us like to run head first at murderous medusa like bad guys in their free time, right Marinette?"

The designer's lips pursed as she realized that, besides checking in with each other once she had her phone back, Alya and her hadn't had a chance to talk about her using herself as a distraction. To add to it Adrien didn't look entirely pleased either, recalling with perfect clarity the panic he had felt.

"I- well- Alya it _needed_ to be done you were in danger!"

"You could have _died_! Just- ugh!" Alya's repressed emotion came roaring to the surface, and she hugged her friend tightly. "Marinette that was terrifying."

Nino was frowning as well, having gone back and watched the stream himself, shocked that Marinette would make a call like that. Just like that Marinette was surrounded by three very upset friends.

She hugged Alya back, speaking over the reporter's shoulder to the group as a whole.

"I'm sorry. I wanted you to be safe though, I was alright."

"You call a sacrifice play for Cat Noir 'safe'?" Nino chimed in, and both Adrien's and Marinette's eyes widened.

"W- how did you-" Marinette tried to speak, pulling away from Alya.

"There were a bunch of students who saw it everyone knows! They thought you were dead! Did you seriously dive in front of him?"

Marinette was on edge, worried about what a rumor like that could lead to.

"Y-yes," she finally answered, "but I- he was going to get hit. Ladybug wasn't around, Cat Noir was the only one who could stop him. Cat's safety was a lot more important than mine."

She fought back a swear when she saw Adrien visibly bristle, his grip suddenly very tight on his cup.

She had a feeling that personal safety and health was going to be a big source of dispute between them.

"Because," she qualified, "there needed to be a hero capable of fending off the akuma and I knew that the villain's power just incapacitated people. Cat needed freedom to move, not me. And it was mostly just reflex, I didn't want him to get hurt. If our positions were reversed he would have done the same thing, I mean how many times has he thrown himself in front of Ladybug? If he didn't want people to do it he should set a good example and do the same."

She saw his jaw clench and she wasn't happy with the passive aggressive hypothetical argument they were having, however it needed to be said. With one statement she had established that she would move to protect Cat Noir the same way he always protected her since she knew he would never stop. No matter how much she protested that reckless alley cat would always throw himself in front.

The bell rang then and the friends started to head inside, but Adrien gave her a look that said they would be discussing it later.

It wasn't fair of him to be upset, it was just a different angle to the same dispute they had had the night before. 'I want you safe' 'I want _you_ safe'.

They were never going to agree completely, they just had to understand the other's point of view.

By the time they had made it to class the sour/sad look on his face made her think he had reached the same conclusion. He looked up at her from his seat as she went to move past him, and she paused by his desk, offering him a gentle smile.

After a moment he returned it, but without thinking gently grabbed her hand and held it until her movement to step up to her seat broke the contact, rubbing a thumb across her fingers just before it did. She blushed slightly at the tender gesture, but understood why he had felt the need to do it. He worried about her too, and she knew seeing her turned to stone had had a lasting effect on him.

The familiar and gentle touch was _absolutely_ noticed however, and the two teens turned a bright red as they were accosted by their respective best friends.

" **Dude** ," Nino whispered intensely, "what aren't you telling me?"

"Uh n-nothing Nino seriously," Adrien answered too quickly, listening intently to the girls behind him with the tips of his ears burning.

"What was that!? Spill! What actually happened when he came over!?" Alya was whisper yelling, still too quiet for others to hear but not him. He blocked out Nino, needing to know how Marinette chose to answer.

"Nothing!"

" _Liar_ I'm your friend come on! Where's all the secrecy coming from did you kiss or something?"

He heard Marinette squeak and he felt sweat break out on the back of his neck.

There was a pause, then suddenly, "No _freaking_ _ **way**_."

"Alya be quiet! Please!"

"You **did** I- how could you not tell me!? Are you guys dating!? Marinette oh my god!"

"Shhh!"

Marinette was pretty sure she was going to explode, watching as Adrien got redder and redder and knew he could hear them.

Alya was bouncing in her seat and gradually attracting more attention, Nino starting to zero in on the situation himself and figured that Alya was digging up some interesting info.

"We can talk about it later okay?" Marinette's voice was pleading, shrinking further and further into her seat.

"Are you dating!?" Alya asked again, "Yes or no!"

"I- I don't know it was kind of a spur of the moment thing!"

"But he likes you!"

"I- I think so."

"Think so?" Adrien asked aloud incredulously, biting his tongue and closing his eyes when he realized how loudly he had spoken. He dropped his head when Alya squealed, Marinette laying her own down on the desk, already overloaded before their first class had even started.

Every other student had no idea what was happening, most of them having missed the touch that started it all in the first place just knowing that something was going on. Luckily Chloe had missed the first part, but was glaring over at the two of them in vicious suspicion. Why was Adrien so red?

The teacher made a timely entrance then, calling the class to order and giving Marinette a slight break. She refused to even look at Alya, ignoring her notes and texts and staring down at her hands. The only note she accepted came from Adrien, and said simply,

"Welp."

Despite how embarrassed she was she still thought it was sort of funny. Trust him to make a joke.

"What do we tell them?" she wrote, handing it back and aware of Alya watching her like a hawk. Nino was keeping an equally watchful eye on Adrien, a grin never leaving his face.

After a long while she got a response, noticing that he was avoiding eye contact when he gave it to her with a shaking hand.

"We can tell them we're dating. Uh, that is, if you say yes.

Wanna get dinner tonight?"

She blinked hard, then gasped aloud, quickly hiding the note when the teacher looked over and she tried to look innocent.

 _What!? Oh my god, Oh god I can't do this I going to faint, Adrien just- ADRIEN_.

She was going to have a heart attack, she was sure of it, when she saw his hands twitching nervously on his desk. He was fidgeting, his foot tapping and his neck flushed.

He… he was nervous.

All at once she remembered who he really was, the complete picture of him. He wasn't all smooth lines and flirtations, he was genuinely nervous she would say no.

Her panic started to subside, feeling a little bit of Ladybug slip out as she saw how on edge she was, like a cat watching a radiator to see if the noises it made were really a monster.

Like she would actually say no… silly kitten.

She took a deep breath, swallowing her nervousness and writing out "I would love dinner," before she could change her mind and handed it back.

She saw him visibly relax, his head dropping back a little in relief and his arm giving an adorable small fist pump of victory under the desk. She stifled a giggle, amazed at how whole he seemed to her now, her Cat Noir and Adrien blending together. Cat was bold enough to go for it, but Adrien was too nervous to ask aloud and instead wrote it down. Cat was victorious, Adrien was relieved and excited.

When he stole a glance back at her he grinned happily as he thought much the same thing.

Marinette was on the verge of hyperventilating, but Ladybug was brave enough to say yes. The blush on her face and the way she clutched her hands to her chest was very Marinette, but the bright and powerful joy in her eyes was his lady staring back at him.

He turned back, hating to look away from her, but not wanting to get caught. After a few moments of regulating his heart rate he elected to just pass the same note to Nino for him to see.

His friend jolted in his seat, barely containing his… was that expression pride? It was definitely positive, and he mouthed, "I knew it," before a grin split his face. He wordlessly asked if he could pass it to Alya, and when Adrien nodded he handed it back, tucking a five dollar bill along with it.

Marinette groaned when she saw it, had they seriously been betting? Soon though she was occupied by Alya roughly shaking her shoulders in jubilation, knowing that the reporter would probably be screaming if they weren't in class. After that it was just a matter of surviving until the bell rang.

When the loud ringing signaled the end of their class Alya immediately tackled her, squealing in excitement.

"I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU!" she shouted, shaking her friend and squeezing the breath from her. "I KNEW IT WOULD HAPPEN I KNEW IT!"

"Alya!" Marinette whined, withering in embarrassment but a smile still on her face. Most of the other kids had already started to leave, casting curious glances at the girls but shrugging it off. Nino would probably be hugging Adrien too if he wasn't injured, so he just settled for dancing around him triumphantly.

"Can't believe it took you all the way to Friday to make it happen man!" Nino teased, gently clapping him on the shoulder and earning a roll of the eyes. "Seriously you dorks were all over each other since Monday I figured you would have-"

"Nino! Sh!" Adrien finally protested, looking away from Marinette who snickered at his bashfulness.

"Glad to know you got the guy Mari, all the crushing on Adrien finally paid off huh?" Alya winked at her friend, wondering why she suddenly went such a deep shade of red.

The two friends watched as the newly announced couple stiffened, and then Adrien was smirking haughtily, a rolling chuckle escaping him. Marinette, still burning red tried to rush past him but he caught her hand and let himself be pulled along into the hallway.

"Is _that_ why you were always so nervous!?"

"Shut up!"

"You had a crush on me!"

" _Shut up_ you stupid _cat!_ "

Alya and Nino were hustling to gather their things as well as their friends things that they had left behind, missing the conversation as it unfolded.

Adrien couldn't help it, he had honestly felt like that was the case but to know that she had had a crush on him even before this week- he was over the moon and feeling more than a little smug.

"I got you anyways! All that pushing me away and it still _got you_ HA!"

She glared at him, her embarrassment turning quickly to irritation.

"Well you were already crushing on me by then so HA!"

He bit his lip, trying to keep from laughing again at how weird their situation was. He wouldn't have called his feelings for Ladybug a crush, not by a long shot, but that didn't need to be said yet.

He pulled her to a stop to wait for their friends, deciding that he didn't feel like releasing her hand and intertwining her fingers with his.

Despite _everything_ the hand holding still made her breath hitch a little, and he couldn't believe it. She really had cared about him the whole time. That must have been why she always held back from Cat Noir, she was crushing on _Adrien_. The only one standing in his way the whole time was HIMSELF. He couldn't imagine anything more frustrating, but he was still riding the high of knowing that he could fluster her with something as simple as holding her hand.

However he tried to remember the whole picture, and earnestly asked her, "If you aren't comfortable with uh like… stuff like this in public yet, I- I understand."

He smiled again, his playful confidence resurging at how quickly she shook her head.

"N-no it's okay I want to- stuff like this I mean- holding hands and – yeah, uh…"

She stared at the ground, clinging to his hand and stepping a little closer to him for comfort through her nervousness, which he happily provided, albeit with a chuckle. He lifted his left hand, fighting the stiffness in his arm and placed it tenderly on her shoulder to try and show that he wasn't making fun of her, he was just excited.

That's when the horrified gasp hit his ears.

He sighed, closing his eyes and preparing himself for what he knew would come next.

"What are you doing you _TRAMP?!_ " Chloe screamed shrilly, drawing the attention of literally everyone around. He felt Marinette tense up beside him, and when he opened his eyes he saw Nino and Alya hurrying towards the scene.

"Chloe-" Adrien tried to start but Marinette took a step forward, pulling her hand back so she could place both of her hands defiantly on her hips.

"Talking to Adrien, is that a problem?"

Nino and Alya arrived, moving to stand behind their friends, ready to lend support once again if need be and keeping an eye out for teachers.

" _Talking_!?" she shouted, moving forward to get in Marinette's face and stabbing a finger into her chest. "More like drooling over him like a dog, how _dare_ you!"

'Wow, you're one to talk,' Marinette thought bitterly. Suddenly Adrien was there though, taking a step forward to force the aggressor back.

"Lay off Chloe."

He said it firmly, his eyes narrowed, warning her to do as he said. He wasn't going to let anyone talk to her like that, akuma risk or not.

"Adrien she had _no right_ -"

"No! _You_ have no right, so just stop it already."

He reached out, pulling Marinette close to him while staring the raging blonde down, and Marinette saw something that was almost like pity mixed in with all of his irritation.

"I'm sorry Chloe, but this is how things are now. You're going to have to get over it."

As bratty and insufferable as she was, seeing the genuine pain in her face was hard to stomach. She stood there, her eyes swimming with anger and disbelief, looking like for the first time instead of fighting, she just wanted to run away.

"What are you saying?" Chloe hissed, glaring at Marinette with a new fierce hatred that made her uneasy.

"I'm saying I'm with Marinette now, and as her boyfriend I won't let _anyone_ bully her **ever**. Understand?"

He heard Marinette's sharp gasp and could even sense the sudden warmth from her body so close to his side, but he was so amped from his anger that he couldn't quite be embarrassed at what was the first official declaration of their relationship.

 _Boyfriend_ echoed in Marinette's mind, and almost as if to prove the point, she clung to him. She wanted a lot of things in that moment. To hide her face, to be close to him, to be alone with him, to prove it was true, to be seen as his girlfriend. Mostly though, she just wanted him to say it again. They hadn't even had their first date, official date anyways, but it didn't feel that way. Honestly, she felt like they were already so close and had already treaded so far past the line they might as well have called it that the second their identities were revealed.

In a way they sort of did.

Chloe tried to speak, her fists shaking and her eyes tearing up, several other girls around also looking devastated. The crowd was shifting and tense, some looking excited for their classmates, others carefully watching Chloe. The air was still flighty from the akuma attack the day before, having been one of the more terrifying ones the city had seen. Everyone was vaguely aware that it could be anyone who would be manipulated into working for Hawkmoth next, and a few of the more intuitive upperclassmen were smart enough to be wary.

Instead of screaming though, shouting and cursing or getting violent, Chloe surprised everyone by taking a step back.

She wrapped her arms around herself, looking at the ground and holding in a sob. Most students didn't react, used to Chloe's fake emotional displays to generate sympathy, but even if it was a little more exaggerated there was still something real behind it. She really was crushed.

"You deserve better than some plain rat like her," she spat, a cruel and bitter edge clinging to her words as she turned, leaving the scene behind. She had her phone in her hand, calling for someone to pick her up. Sabrina trailed behind her at a distance, unsure of what to do, shooting a glance over at Marinette and offering a small smile of congratulations before running to catch up.

.

No one said anything at first, Adrien looking after his old friend with a worried frown but not moving to follow her. After a few moments Marinette found his hand again and offered a reassuring squeeze, wanting him to look at her so she could understand what he was thinking.

Alya sighed, grabbing the couple's attention and giving a shrug.

"It couldn't be helped," was all she offered, Nino nodding in agreement.

The four of them quietly collected themselves and headed for their next class, Adrien and Marinette sticking close together. To those that knew them it seemed strange how natural their closeness was, how quickly they seemed to fall in perfect step and it didn't feel forced. It was like somehow, even though they had only properly known each other for a week, they knew each other more deeply and intimately than even the closest of friends.

No one could know of course that they had covered each other in more fights than they could count, cracked more jokes on Parisian rooftops than there were days in a year and fought for each other's lives more times than they cared to remember. It was impossible for them to hide it now that they knew who the other really was, they could only hope it would eventually be dismissed.

Adrien's hand was warm in Marinette's, and she marveled at how even this entirely new action felt practiced and right. However before they walked in she pulled him aside to talk privately, waving their friends on ahead.

"What's up?" he asked, immediately sensing a kind of tension from her.

"That got pretty heated, do you think someone can get possessed twice?"

Adrien frowned, taking it seriously. "I don't know, your guess is as good as mine."

"If she does, I know I said you could stay but-"

"Marinette if Chloe goes bad I'm fighting with you end of story."

"Adrien-" she started to mutter, her hands twisting together, but Adrien cut her off.

"No!" he tried to keep his voice low, students still passing them, but he spoke resolutely. "We had trouble with her together as it was."

"And you think it will be better with you injured?"

"Injured is better than nothing this is not up in the air Marinette we talked about this."

The girl sighed, her arms close to her chest and her face in her hand. Adrien felt a jolt in his heart when she looked… pained.

"Hey," he spoke again, his voice softer as he put his hands on her shoulders, "look at me princess, please."

She was slow to comply, shifting her weight uneasily before looking up at him. She knew he was strong, as Adrien or Cat Noir, but she could see that he was still in pain. One strong hit or too much running around and he could make his injuries even worse. She couldn't just keep Cat from fighting ever again, but so soon… she wanted to just handle it herself.

When she finally looked at him he was smiling gently.

"I'm tough. I won't- I don't want you fighting alone. I'll be careful, I swear, but no more solo fights, for either of us. I saw the way you looked at my injuries, you felt guilty, stupidly, because you weren't there when it happened. For some reason you like to overlook that you only weren't there through the fight because you saved my life at the very start _but_ ," he smirked at her through his quip but settled back into a more somber tone, "you still felt guilty. How do you think I would feel if you even got a scratch in a fight I wasn't in? The only way we won't lose our minds is if we trust the other person to know when they are well enough to run into danger, and I'm telling you I can do it."

They stared at each other, momentarily ignoring the fact that the teacher had passed them and class would soon start. Finally, after a long pause, Marinette let out a heavy breath and nodded, her eyes dropping to the floor.

"Let's hope double possessions aren't a thing for now. Maybe my luck will hold out." She gave him a small smile before turning to walk into class, Adrien following close behind.

.

They didn't talk much through their second class, both of them actually having to take notes since they were essentially a week behind, but they were still hyper aware of each other. Once, to make him smile and reassure him she wasn't upset with him she doodled a small black cat on a piece of paper. She did a few, just quick and simple pictures of a cat running around or stretching. She made little annotations like 'dork' and an arrow pointing at a cat that was rolling around and passed it to him with a smirk. She grinned when she heard his chuckle. It was simple cute things like that, where he would cross out 'dork' and write 'cool', and add a tiny ladybug to the pictures. He wasn't as good of an artist as Marinette, not by a long shot, but ladybugs were easy.

He loved it, simple cute things with her, it was amazing. He felt happier doing something silly with her than he had in a long time, rejoicing in the fact that she hadn't denied it when he called himself her boyfriend, but instead clung to him.

Her boyfriend… god was any of it even real? His lady, his Marinette, and they had said _yes_. She, he corrected himself, she had said yes.

He grinned to himself, one part of his brain trying to keep up with the class work but another excitedly anticipating what being in a relationship with her would be like.

He was going to spoil her, absolutely there was no doubt at all. Necklaces, clothes, gifts, sweets, tickets to shows, anything at all. She would make a fuss, definitely, so he might not get to do it as much as he would like but he was going to try. She wasn't going to stand for it being unbalanced, so he didn't want to go overboard because he knew she would go above and beyond to return the favor. He didn't want her to spend anything on him, he wanted to be the one to spoil her, but as was evident with something as simple as coffee that morning he knew it wasn't going to work that way.

His fingers rolled his pencil between them and he lost focus on the lesson again, smothering a grin with his free hand as he considered their date that night, quickly doodling a ladybug sitting on a bell to return to Marinette.

It was a Friday night in Paris, and he didn't want to take her just anywhere. He was a lot more nervous than he wanted to admit but his admittedly showy Cat Noir side refused to settle for second best. He wasn't one to name pull, but if he asked Natalie to make reservations for him she would likely do it on his behalf. He tapped his eraser against his knuckles rhythmically, trying to remember if he knew what Marinette's favorite flower was. Would that look lame? Maybe over the top but… he wanted to do it right. She was a princess she deserved the best, and he knew she would probably humor him. It would be easier if they could just be in their masks, easier to play is cool, but he didn't want to make some excuse so he could be Cat Noir when it happened. He finally had the masks out of his way, he wasn't about to hide behind one again just to be more comfortable.

"Adrien! Can you answer?"

Adrien's head snapped up and he locked eyes with the teacher, their face expectant and patient and he knew he's just been asked something.

"Uhh- I'm sorry can you repeat the question please?"

Laughter rang through the classroom and the teacher shook their head, begrudgingly repeating themselves and pulling the answer from the typically studious boy even if it did take a few minutes. Honestly it was like he wasn't listening at all.

Nino snickered, nudging his friend and whispering, "Head in the game lover boy," to which Adrien huffed and shook his head, embarrassed at being caught out.

More of class rolled by and he never got his note back from Marinette, probably as punishment for not paying attention, and he did his best to focus on the lesson.

Some homework for the weekend it would seem… shouldn't be too hard, maybe he could do it with Marinette. They could do a study date type of thing at the library, or maybe her house. He would prefer her house, it was warm and smelt nice and her parents were so kind. With a flash of mild panic he realized he would probably need to get permission to take their daughter out that night, he hadn't even thought about it. Sabine would probably be all for it, she had already given her blessing right? Tom would probably be okay with it as well but he was still a father, he might say something. Maybe not though… Tom seemed to like him, he was so nice he couldn't really imagine him saying no or anything.

Just like that he was utterly distracted and Nino could tell, watching as his friend drifted off once again and sighed quietly to himself. Seriously, his note taking might be the only thing that ended up keeping Adrien's grades afloat, he would be so lost without him.

Finally the bell for their second class rang and Adrien started to pack up his things, waiting for Marinette so they could walk together. She smiled at him when she saw him standing there, handsomely grinning at her in a way that made her heart skip. It was still surreal for her.

Nino looked between the two of them and grinned, jumping up to grab Alya's arm and tug her away from the couple.

"Yeah I need to talk to Alya about uh, stuff, so you guys have your alone time okay? Keep it clean Adrien no rough housing."

"NINO!" Adrien blurted out, only fueling his idiotic friend's laughter as he pulled the reporter out into the hall and out of sight. Alya looked at him expectantly once they were there and he simply shrugged, walking off in the direction of his locker.

"They looked like they wanted to be alone, I say we give them some space today, let them have the weekend to sort things out then go back to normal on Monday, sound fair?"

.

Back in the classroom Adrien was fighting to keep the humiliation from his face, Marinette surpassing her own awkwardness to elbow him gently and give him a wink.

"You heard him no roughhousing kitten."

"Mari please you so aren't helping."

The duo moved out into the hallway themselves, Adrien viciously scanning for his stupid friend but coming up empty, giving off a heavy sigh and shaking his head to try and rid it of its heat. To his relief though Marinette didn't seem to mind the teasing, at least there was that.

Adrien followed her to her locker, tagging along without any prompt to do so because if it was at all possible he was going to follow her basically anywhere, just wanting to be with her.

He intended to tentatively broch the subject of asking her parent's permission for that night when he felt a gentle push against his upper chest, the part that wasn't damaged. When he looked down he saw Plagg, silently asking for his attention.

"Plagg wants something, lets duck behind here," he whispered to Marinette, who looked at the wall he was referencing and positioned herself to block him from view with a smile. He grinned at the teamwork, but turned his attention to his kwami.

"What's up?" he asked, watching from the corner of his eye as Marinette stood guard.

"Seems quiet, you think queenie would have showed up by now," Plagg started, peeking out from the jacket.

"Yeah, maybe double possessions aren't a thing?"

"Maybe not, I can't remember it happening before but that doesn't mean much. Still, if it doesn't look like you need to be Cat Noir any time soon, can I go hang out with Tikki? Marinette's bag smells a lot better than sweaty teen boy."

Adrien scoffed, frowning at his kwami and protesting quietly, "I don't smell, if you want to see Tikki just say that!"

Marinette was giggling, trying to look inconspicuous but finding their argument adorable.

"He's welcome to hang out with us," she offered, Tikki giving a muffled shout of agreement from her clutch. "Put him in my backpack, there's more room. You too Tikki."

With a look over her shoulder they did the switch and the kwamis greeted each other happily, obviously pleased that they could hang out more often now that their charges had finally gotten it together and revealed their identities.

"Cookie?" Adrien heard Tikki offer, to which Plagg gave a disgusted groan and it made him laugh.

"If he starts bugging you for cheese during class I'm sorry, he can be sort of annoying," Adrien chuckled, moving down the hall with Marinette once again. She stopped in front of her locker, pulling out some books but was careful not to disturb the creatures currently in her bag.

"It's alright," she said, patting the tiny black cat on the head and making Tikki laugh, "I think he's cute."

"Cute!?" Plagg gasped, "I am not _cute,"_ but he was quickly shushed by both teens since there were other students nearby.

Once Marinette had her things they started to head towards their classroom, running a little behind and likely to be late, Adrien said, "So uh about tonight."

Marinette blushed slightly, remembering her date even though she had hardly stopped thinking about it since he asked. "Yeah?"

"Uh, would your parents be okay with it? Should I ask?"

The designer blinked, seemed to consider it for a moment, than shook her head with a smile.

"No, honestly they'll be thrilled, I'll just let them know once I get home."

She giggled again when he sighed in relief, a weight lifted from his shoulders. She was excited for their date, beyond excited actually, so she asked, "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," he answered quickly, grinning at her mischievously until she rolled her eyes. The truth was that he didn't know yet, resolving to sneak out to the bathroom at some point during their next class to text Natalie and get her looking for the nicest place available.

Her eyes narrowed a bit, playfully sizing him up.

"You're not going to go overboard are you kitty?"

" _What_?" he gasped theatrically, a hand to his chest. "Me? Going overboard with something? Absolutely not princess of course not. However for no particular reason at all, what's your favorite flower?"

She sighed, the sound eventually evolving into laughter as she looped her arm through his as easily as if she had a done it a thousand times. She did it gently, knowing she was cradling the damaged arm, but she could still feel him jolt slightly at the contact, his body heating and cheeks tinging pink. It made her smile at how easily she could thwart his bravado.

"I'm looking forward to it."

.

 **((This is so long. Almost 10k, sorry lol. There will likely be a second part to this, not sure if more. I'm considering developing more of a plot for this instead of just follow up but can't decide, anyways, please enjoy! No worries, I will be explaining whats happened with Chloe.))**


	2. Chapter 2

Adrien stood in his room, his hands shaking as he tried to straighten his collar, doing his best to listen to Nino's reassuring words coming through the speaker of his phone.

"It's gonna go great dude what are you tripping about?! She's going to have a great time and so are you and it's gonna be fine."

"I really don't want to screw this up Nino," Adrien confided in his friend, taking the phone with him into the bathroom to look himself over for the thousandth time.

He was wearing a favorite outfit of his, one he had received the most compliments on when he had modeled it for a shoot and had asked to keep afterwards. It was a simple but expensive black buttoned shirt tailored to fit him perfectly and a gray double breasted vest with eight buttons and notched lapels. He had an elegantly cut black suit jacket to go with it, though it lay discarded on his bed for the time being, and formal gray slacks to compliment his smart looking black dress shoes. Over all he looked sharp, or at least he hoped so.

"Damn…" Nino's voice echoed in the tiled bathroom, "You must really like her huh?"

Adrien paused for a moment, looking at himself in the mirror and sighing heavily, a small smile on his lips.

"You have no idea man."

Nino laughed, and Adrien could imagine that he was likely shaking his head.

"Geeze you fall hard dude, but don't sweat it, so does she."

Adrien tried to fix miniscule imperfections with his hair, his foot tapping nervously as he did, and he once again asked, "Did she seriously have a crush on me this whole time?"

"DUDE _yes_ , I promise you, you were the only one who didn't know. I'm surprised you even noticed Chloe did with how oblivious you can be."

"Hey!" Adrien protested, only earning a laugh in return. Plagg was sitting on the sink and covered a snicker of his own.

"When are you leaving? It's like seven."

Adrien glanced at the on screen clock above Nino's displayed contact, and it stated a daunting '7:15 PM'.

"Soon, I have to pick her up by 7:30, our reservations are for 7:45." Adrien's voice was taunt with his nerves, the tapping of his foot being picked up on the call.

"Chill out man, everything's going to go great, you've got this in the bag. It ain't about impressing her or anything it's about you guys having a good time. She likes _you,_ remember? Just be yourself."

The sound of tapping slowly faded and Adrien held his own gaze in the mirror, Nino's words slowly sinking in. 'Just be yourself.' That was more relevant than Nino even knew, that's what made the dinner so nerve wracking. It was him and Marinette, the real versions of themselves, sitting down together for dinner. For a _date_. Cat Noir and Ladybug, Adrien and Marinette.

"Yeah…" Adrien breathed the word, nodding his head in some silent confirmation of something. "Myself."

He stared at himself for a moment longer before he gave one final adjustment to his vest and picked up his phone, switching the call to a video feed.

"Alright man how do I look?" Adrien asked, holding the phone out to show himself in the camera, careful to avoid Plagg. Nino's face was now filling the screen, lying in bed with his hat and headphones off for once. His friend's reaction was delayed a little thanks to the lag of the call, but when he saw it he scoffed, shaking his head.

"Unfair is how you look. How the hell are normal guys like me supposed to get anywhere with jerks like you walking around."

Adrien chuckled, grinning at the praise, if that's what it was.

"I have some suits you can borrow."

"Cause it's just the clothes that do it. You look great man, she's gonna love it."

Adrien steeled himself, then said, "Alright. It's time to head out. Wish me luck Nino."

"You won't need it! Have fun."

.

Adrien ended the call and strode out to collect his jacket, slipping it on and pausing a moment to let Plagg clamber inside.

"You promise you'll behave right?" Adrien asked the kwami uncertainly, heading out to the hall, double checking he had his wallet and cards on the way.

"What do you take me for?! No respect." Plagg replied from the jacket, feigning offense.

Adrien sighed, knowing that was the best he was going to get and just hoping that he could get him and Tikki in the same space together so she would keep them in check.

He pulled out his phone, striding down the hall on the way to the car and sending a text to Marinette.

'A- About to get to the car, be there in a few minutes.'

He did his best to ignore how loud everything sounded, stopping to grab an umbrella in case the rain returned. His hands were sweaty when he picked a plain black one, and he tried to ignore that too.

' _Just be yourself'._

What even was that at this point?

.

.

Marinette sat in her room patiently waiting, her mother pulling out the last curl and letting it drape around her daughter's face before taking a step back to admire how beautiful she looked.

"You look stunning sweetheart," her mother said in a quiet voice, knowing just how nervous she was, but there was no lie in her statement. She looked so grownup, and absolutely gorgeous.

She was wearing a coat and dress of her own design, something she had made a long time ago for a wedding that happened last December. The dress coat was an asymmetrical peacoat style with lace puffing out the bottom hem slightly just above the midway point above her knee, double breasted and made of sparkling pure white woven wool. The lace was a deep black, complementing the black of her warm winter leggings and leading into fashionable black and white accented boots she had bought only a few hours earlier for the occasion. They didn't have heels, she didn't trust herself with them on such an important night, but they were cute nonetheless. Plus, she liked how much taller Adrien was than her.

Marinette reached a hand up to gently touch the silky, still warm curls of her hair, the spirals soft and long as they warmed her neck. She turned to look in her mirror, staring at a woman who seemed so much older than herself, wholly elegant and graceful, things she had never thought in accordance with herself outside of her mask.

"Thanks mom… for helping me get ready and everything. I- I'm-"

"It's alright honey, I know you're nervous, but Adrien is a very sweet boy." Sabine smiled gently at Marinette, stepping away to collect a thin necklace of diamonds from her personal collection to drape around her daughter's neck. "I have all the confidence in the world that you will have a wonderful time. No boy can resist the charm of my darling Marinette, I doubt the poor boy will even be able to speak."

Marinette smiled, her nerves fading for a moment as she remembered how excited, yet utterly unsurprised her parents were when she told them about the date.

She had told them while they were working, walking in after Adrien had walked her home with an excited smile on her face. She had said it quietly, fidgeting with her hands, and if the two of them hadn't been so busy she knew they would have hugged her.

Instead her father had laughed, his smile bright with pride, saying, "Of course! It was only a matter of time, no boy looks at a girl like that without asking her to dinner. He is a very kind young man, I know he'll treat you with respect."

Her mother had smiled, nodding her head in an 'I knew it' fashion before offering to help her get ready once the bakery was closed for the day.

Just then Marinette's phone buzzed, announcing that Adrien was on his way, and her nerves returned in a tense flurry.

"Oh god Mom I don't even know where we're going! I just know it's really fancy I, what if I look all wrong!?"

"No one could look all wrong looking like that," her mother tsked, hoping for a smile that was swallowed by her daughter's apprehension. She sighed, reaching out to smooth the edges of the black lace. "Aren't you excited honey?"

"I- yes of course I am it's just… really complicated…" Marinette groaned, pacing across the room to collect her small white bag that currently held Tikki. She resisted the urge to rip it open and cradle her kwami against her, the action always helping calm her in the past.

"Yes, I know," her mother started, something Marinette severely doubted, "but it is also incredibly simple."

"How can something be simple and complicated at the same time?" her daughter demanded, a slight pout forming on her lips, her hands fidgeting with a button on her coat.

Sabine couldn't help but chuckle a little, pleasant memories of young love resurfacing so she could draw wisdom from them.

"Do you like Adrien?"

"Yes-"

"Does he make you laugh? Really laugh?"

"Well- yes…"

"Can you talk to him? Does he listen when you do?"

Silence hung in the air for a moment, and Marinette tried to focus on her mother's words, using them to calm herself.

"Yes… to both," she finally answered, her mind turning to Cat Noir leaning against his staff as he listened to her talk about the city, and Adrien listening to her rant about a book series. He had seemed so happy both times.

"Did you want to say no to dinner?"

"No, not at all I want to go more than anything!"

Sabine smiled sweetly, taking one of Marinette's hands from the button on her coat.

"Then go sweetheart. There is nothing simpler than that."

.

Marinette let her statement sink in, turning to clasp her other hand around her mother's as well. They stood there for a while, and the more she thought about it, the easier it seemed. She shouldn't be nervous, or scared, or anything like that. She had her partner with her, her Cat Noir and her Adrien. Even if he was the one responsible for making her nervous, she knew she would always be okay if he was there.

"Thanks mom…" she responded at last, a small smile washing away the last doubts she had. She was still nervous… but she wasn't scared anymore.

She took a deep breath and smoothed her coat, adjusting the dress underneath and patting at her hair. She really hoped he liked it…

.

.

Adrien stepped out of the car, a sleek compact thankfully and not the limousine. He was already going a bit far… the limo would have been too much.

He was grateful it wasn't raining, clouds still heavy in the sky and the air cold but at least there was that. Maybe he could offer her his coat… if he could get that far.

He felt a little pathetic, the bouquet was shaking in his hands but he couldn't stop it no matter how hard he tried. It was a collection of light dusty pink tulips, mixed together with red roses. He had reasons for picking those flowers since Marinette didn't have a favorite, though he couldn't remember for the life of him now as he stared at the bakery entrance. He was just standing on the pavement, trying to regulate his breathing, scolding himself harshly in his head.

'You're a superhero damn it she's your best friend! Just go!'

No matter how much he chanted it though he didn't move, he just stood there, the cold air chilling his skin but his palms still sweaty.

He jolted when he heard the chime, his eyes refocusing to see Tom standing there holding the door open with a gentle, understanding smile.

"Hey son," he said quietly, letting the door swing shut and standing outside with him, enduring the chill with the same warm smile.

Adrien didn't say anything at first, looking up at the towering man. He knew though he didn't need to say it. From the look in the father's eyes, he understood all too well what Adrien was feeling.

Adrien felt something besides the crippling nerves when Tom stepped forward to put a heavy hand on his shoulder, the man offering strength and reassurance to the struggling boy.

"Wait till you see her," Tom said with a soft chuckle, "You're quite the lucky lad… I suppose this is meant to be the part where I threaten you, tell you to treat her right, but you know," Tom's eyes were bright and alive with sincerity, "something tells me you will only ever take care of her."

Adrien felt a spark of burning warmth in his chest, reaching for his voice, trying to speak clearly.

"I-I will sir, I swear. I know it seems sorta… fast… but Mari and I have been close for a while and uh…" Adrien swallowed, steeling himself and straightening his shoulders. "She means a lot to me sir."

Tom's deep laugh brought a smile to his face, reveling in the sort of fatherly comfort he had never known before.

"I can see that… I like you Adrien, Sabine does as well… I hope you know that. So no matter what, this house will always be open to you."

Tom stood there for a moment, absorbing the shocked emotion on Adrien's face with a slight sadness, knowing that there should never be a child who needed support the way this one did, knowing it was wrong that it ever came to this. However… being able to offer him something felt good, and he had a feeling that he would make his daughter very happy. Before it could go too long though, Tom laughed heartily to break the tension, and gently pushed Adrien towards the door.

"Now come on, no more stalling. She's waiting for you."

.

Marinette stood at the top of her stairs, holding her bag close to her and staring down into the bakery like it was a place she had never been. She felt two consistent sources of encouragement though, one from her mother standing behind her, and another from Tikki, silently cheering her on.

"Come on sweetie," her mother spoke softly, "it's time to go."

She didn't move right away, her heart pounding in her chest, but she remembered her mother's words and what they reminded her of. It wasn't just Adrien, not anymore. It was Cat Noir too, and she knew that Adrien was probably just as nervous as she was even if he tried to hide it.

Finally she felt her heart steady just a little, and she started down the stairs, timidly but still moving forward.

Sabine followed behind, standing behind her daughter proudly as the two teens locked eyes, and the look that settled on Adrien's face sent a wave of affection through her. She watched as he took in Marinette, looking at her with something almost too old for him. It was heavy in his eyes, and part of her wondered if he knew he was in love. They were so young and so sweet, but there was something… so much more. As a mother she was ecstatic. He was well mannered, thoughtful, polite, and caring while also having the youthful energy to match her daughter's. What luck her daughter must have… to find a boy who looked ready to stand by her side forever on the very first date.

Adrien couldn't move. She was… god she was _perfect_. Her hair was down again… something that he realized looked even better without the mask somehow, maybe it was the curls, the way they hugged her neck and framed her face. Diamonds glittered on her collar bone and her eyes were accented in such a way by the dark color of her hair and the glowing white of her coat that they looked like icicles with light shining through them.

"You're beautiful."

He said it aloud, unable to keep the awe from his voice, unable to retract the words once they were said. Tom smiled, Sabine sighed happily, and Marinette glowed.

Pink dusted her cheeks and she found the confidence to walk towards him, looking him over and then looking away shyly.

"You… you look very handsome Adrien. A-are those for me?"

Adrien was lost, still staring at her when Tom's encouraging hand motions brought him back to the present, a flush creeping up his neck as he held out the flowers.

"Y-yes my lady. I thought they were beautiful before but nothing compares to you."

Marinette's eyes widened at the line, before she giggled and reached out to take the bouquet, mostly to hide behind them.

"Thank you… they're lovely."

"Not as lovely as you."  
"Oh shh," she finally teased with a laugh, glad to see him smile.

Her mother stepped forward then, reaching out to gently take the flowers.

"I'll put them in your room honey, you two should be on your way."

"Right," Adrien spoke up, taking Marinette's arm in his without thinking about it much, "let's go."

He grinned at her, his confidence slowly returning as the initial nervousness started to fade. He could see it in her as well, still bashful but working on getting more comfortable.

He helped her outside, opening the bakery door for her and sliding in alongside her when the door to the car was opened by the driver.

The door clicked shut and the driver walked back around to the front, quickly raising the partition to give the teens their privacy and heading towards the restaurant.

In the small space of the car the seats were still rather spacious, but somehow, for one reason or another, Marinette and Adrien sat shoulder to shoulder regardless. He could feel her heat besides him as the intimacy of the car dawned on him, the dim lighting only flaring up when streetlights flashed in the window. He swallowed again, berating himself for his nervousness and reached down to hold her hand, containing a sigh of relief when she reciprocated the gesture.

"So tomcat," she finally spoke, turning to look up at him in the darkness, "will you tell me where we are headed now?"

He grinned, the nickname putting him more at ease. "Pierre Gagnaire's restaurant," he responded plainly, smirking slightly when her jaw dropped.

"B-but reservations are impossible!"

"I had Natalie make them, how she got them is beyond me but I didn't plan on complaining. It was pretty funny actually, once I told her it was for a date she went the extra mile to make it nice."

"Ah Adrien we really don't have to! Seriously! Just spending time with you is nice I would have been fine with a sandwich or something!"

His grin grew, but he shook his head. "I have to show you I'm serious princess, only the best for you. _Then_ we can do whatever we like. First impressions matter you know."

"First impressions," she huffed, pinching the bridge of her nose with a bemused laugh. "You don't have to impress me." She gripped his hand a little harder for emphasis, her blush visible even in the dim light. "We are already kind of together ya know."

"Yes but now is time to seal the deal! Also, if you think I'm not going to spoil you, you obviously don't know me very well."

"Cat!" she protested, her eyes widening slightly as she screwed her eyes shut and shook her head, the curls swaying with the movement. "Shoot I'm sorry."

"It's cool, the cabin is fairly soundproof, and even if it wasn't I can imagine worse people finding out than my driver." He laughed it off, waggling an eyebrow at her, finding it easier to be himself now with the name out in the open again. It was so easy to convince himself that it wasn't real and she didn't actually know. "Hopefully we don't get that wrong in public at some point, but even if we do as long as we stick together we can handle anything."

Marinette's lips parted in a silent gasp, her eyes shining and the corners of her mouth tilting upwards in a smile, and he couldn't take his gaze away from her face, her deep blue eyes pulling him in once again.

However the moment was thoroughly ruined when Plagg groaned, popping his head out of Adrien's jacket and saying, "Ugh I already hate this! Tikki this is the worst this isn't any fun at all anymore."

Marinette, though irritated herself at the little cat's interruption, still had to struggle to restrain her snicker at Adrien's furious expression, looking utterly betrayed.

"Plagg you _said_ -"

"I never said nothing!" he whined, squeaking in a mix of pain and fear when he was suddenly yanked out of the jacket and out into the space of the cabin by Tikki, materializing from Marinette's purse to save the day.

"Plagg!" she scolded sharply, "You will leave them alone, you interrupt again and I'll chuck you from the window!"

"Tikkiii," he moaned but she bat him over the head again with her hand and frowned sternly, turning to Adrien.

"I'll keep him quiet, don't you two cuties worry about a thing, it's like we're not even here!"

To prove her statement she pulled Plagg into the bag and snapped it shut, effectively putting the small black kwami in lockdown until the date was over.

Adrien, who was still grieving the lost moment, sighed but attempted to be good natured about it, raising an eyebrow when Marinette chuckled.

"Well he seems like a handful, he's cute though."

Adrien groaned and it made her laugh harder, his mood appeased mostly thanks to the sound. "You have no idea, I love Tikki! She's so sweet, honestly she's the nicest. All Plagg ever does is pull pranks and stick cheese crumbs in everything."

Plagg's tiny protest of "Ungrateful!" could only just be heard, but he ignored him in favor of the lovely woman besides him.

"Is that why your room smelled like cheese? I wasn't going to say anything but uh…"

He groaned again, his face falling in his hands and making her snort with laughter. He was planning on being embarrassed, but he was so distracted by the adorable sound he didn't have it in him to sulk.

"Well at least there doesn't seem to be signs of an akuma attack so we won't need to transform, Chloe looks to be in the clear according to Sabrina."

That caught his attention, Adrien picking his head up to gaze at her curiously.

"Did Sabrina talk to you or something?"

Marinette nodded her head, her teeth clamping down gently on her bottom lip as she thought.

 _'Stop staring at her lips damn it_ ' he pleaded mentally.

"I sent her a text earlier today after you walked me home, asking how Chloe was doing. She called me and was beside herself, saying how something awful almost happened. According to her, an akuma _tried_ to possess her, and it didn't work."

"Wait seriously?" he exclaimed, his attention refocusing, "So I guess double possessions don't work."

"I don't know, that's not how Sabrina made it sound," she countered. "According to her the two of them were together outside of the school. She was ranting and crying and suddenly the akuma flew in and tried to plant itself in Chloe's sunglasses. The way Sabrina made it sound was Hawkmoth tried to talk to her, but Chloe forced him out."

"That's _possible_? Well, maybe it's just easier to dissuade if it's happened before."

Marinette shrugged, obviously not having much of an idea herself. "Getting the story from them isn't going to be unbiased in the least, Sabrina was trying to make it sound all heroic. I was asking her for direct quotes of the conversation between Chloe and Hawkmoth but she didn't seem inclined to share. I was part of the reason Chloe was so upset in the first place, I doubt they would tell either of us. The best I could get from Sabrina made it sound like Chloe decided she didn't want revenge, she just wanted to be alone and told Hawkmoth to go away."

Adrien was slack jawed, trying to wrap his head around the idea. Finally though with an amused chuckle he said, "Well if anyone could tell Hawkmoth to take a hike I wouldn't put it past her to manage."

"Seriously," Marinette muttered in agreement, laughing along with him. "If it's true then I'm impressed. To decide to just leave us be would be pretty grownup of her."

"Well I doubt she'll be nice," he sighed, "but at least she won't try and actively kill us."

Marinette tittered, nervously playing with the diamonds at her neck. "Yeah that's definitely a nice change. She was a pretty nasty akuma."

"Ivan was worse," he responded, shivering slightly at the memory. "Well maybe not worse, but a lot scarier. Queenie was vicious and fast but he was unnerving to fight. It was so quiet, it was the worst."

"You beat him though," she said quickly, moving to recapture his hand. "You saved everyone."

He was silent for a bit, looking down at their hands and breathing out slowly. "Yeah, everyone." He squeezed her hand, running a thumb along her fingers.

"Don't look so sad kitty cat, I'm right here aren't I? I'm not going anywhere."

His smile was subdued but genuine, leaning into her to press their shoulders together and gently lay his head against hers, another tender gesture that she reciprocated immediately.

"I know, it's just still fresh is all. I know you're okay."

"What about you?" she asked, playing idly with the ring on his finger, smiling since she knew what it was and liking how he didn't move to stop her. He knew he could trust her with it. "How are you feeling?"

"I assume you mean my injuries," he chuckled, "since it should be obvious I'm feeling pretty amazing right now in every other regard. Hardly any pain when I'm sitting like this, I'm doing just fine."

"You promise?"

He picked his head up from its place against hers and reached out, taking her chin in his hand and angling her face so she was looking at him. "I promise, Cat's honor."

"Cats have honor?" she laughed, the strength behind it fading as the both of them started to realize the intimacy of their position, how close their faces were, the way his fingers gripped her face gently.

"Yeah…" he responded lamely, practically feeling the heat spread across her face through his fingertips. Her skin was soft, and her eyes were wide, staring up at him, wondering what he was going to do next. Honestly he would have also liked to have known, the warmth from the back of his neck spreading into his cheeks as he looked again at her lips.

This was ridiculous he was being ridiculous he couldn't just- not again he was lucky he had gotten away with it in the first place. She was right there though, and it was all he could think about.

"Princess…" his voice was soft, and hesitant, his fingers holding her face trembling slightly.

"Yes?" she responded, her voice amazingly steady as she watched him, neither of them pulling away.

"M-may I… May I kiss you?"

The only sound he could hear was the tiny hitch of her breath and the pounding of his heart, filling the cabin and fueling his nervousness, wondering why she hadn't responded yet.

However, after a moment, her eyes wide with her own nerves and a small smile forming on her face, she nodded silently.

Adrien was frozen, petrified by his own fear even though he had managed to kiss her so effortlessly before, but he didn't have to move. Marinette slowly picked up her own hand to grasp gently at his jacket, pulling him forward and sitting up slightly to meet him, taking the opportunity to lead on their second kiss.

At first it was as soft and tender as their first had been, charged with their tense nervousness, but once they were brought together their fear of being refused vanished completely. Adrien leaned forward, an arm wrapping around her and pulling her to him as his desire overrode his lack of initial confidence. He felt Marinette sigh against him, the slight brush of air on his cheek urging him on, making him surer of himself. His free hand wrapped around to the small of her back, his other cupping her face and letting his thumb glide along the soft skin of her cheek, loving the warmth he found there. A strange feeling blossomed in his throat when he felt her hands slip inside his jacket, sliding along his sides and holding him gently so as not to cause pain. She pushed into him, controlling the kiss and making his heart hammer frantically against his ribs.

She got more confident, letting their second kiss melt into a third, a fourth. Once she was there, kissing him and so close, she couldn't think of him as a crush she was terrified of embarrassing herself in front of. He was Adrien, and he was kissing her.

Without thinking much of it her hand found its way up to his neck, curiously reaching for his soft golden hair and winding her fingers through it, using it to push him to her again.

That strange feeling grew in his throat again, and he shivered, unable to process that it was all really happening. When she gently grabbed at his hair he cringed when he felt himself make a noise, incapable of containing it, but also incapable of pulling away from humiliation. Any noise at all would have been mortifying, but something so low, something so close to a _purr_ of contentment was too much.

She pulled away just enough to let him feel the smile on her lips before she kissed him one last time, sitting back against the seat to catch her breath.

They were both flushed, still sitting so close together with their breathing filling the cabin. Adrien's heart was beating so quickly and so hard that he thought he felt a phantom ache from his ribs, his face feeling hot, almost feverish.

They were silent for a while before she said, "T-thanks for uh, asking. I hope that answer was clear."

He was staring at the ground, smiling like a fool, the back of his neck tingling.

"Thanks for uh… yeah just- thanks."

He shook his head, trying to make the thoughts come together but he grinned when she laughed at how disjointed he was.

Her laughter lead nervously into a stuttered sentence, her hands playing with her coat in the corner of his eye.

"Y-you can do that whenever, just so you know. If you want."

"Awesome," he responded too quickly, giggling at his rushed and incredibly lame answer. "Cool, great."

He looked at her, loving how flustered she was, loving that it was his lady that looked back at him so bashfully.

"Whenever?" he asked, smiling at her.

"Yup," she squeaked, playing with her hair and looking at the ground, his bright green eyes to much to look at after something like that.

"Cool," he said again, silently cheering at how she jumped in surprise when he kissed her nose, making her look up in so he could kiss her lips again, short and sweet.

"A-Adrien!" she sputtered, burning red and retreating into her coat, glaring at his excited grin.

"You said whenever! I'd do it again if we weren't about to arrive."

He gestured out the window, his driver pulling into a place where he could drop them at the doors. He could see the looming building and the people filing in, all very obviously wealthy adults. They would be the youngest ones there by a decade at least, unattended that is.

The car pulled to a stop and with the car still idling the driver got out to head towards Adrien's door and open it for them.

"Come on Princess, time to go."

Adrien quickly fixed his hair from where she had messed with it, waiting for the door to open and then taking a step out onto the curb.

"My lady," he said simply, holding out his hand with a charming smile. He was so exhilarated from kissing her he felt like he could do anything, especially take her to dinner.

Marinette was still recovering from the surprise attack, and all of the kissing in general, but did not want to be outdone. She saw her tomcat out there, smiling confidently at her and holding his hand out like a gentleman, patiently waiting for her and looking like he was on top of the world.

She took a deep breath, and found herself smiling at the cat's charm, reaching out to except his offered hand and follow after him, the chill of the night in sharp contrast to the heat of her face.

As soon as she was standing outside the car he looped his arm through hers, striding forward and thanking the driver. He ushered her towards the front doors being held open by two immaculately polite attendants, straightening his back and holding himself with practiced composure.

"Sir Agreste and Madame Cheng, thank you for joining us. Your table is ready for you if you'll just follow me." The male attendant smiled professionally at the children who were half his age in a place so high brow. He knew better than to treat them with anything less that his utmost professionalism, because if children passed through a place like this without anyone holding their hands then they had family who had the flack to make it happen, especially with a last minute reservation like theirs. The name Agreste did not go unnoticed, the wait staff already tense and watching. However, as he led them to their table he didn't get the impression that they would cause any trouble. In fact, he was almost certain it was only the boy who had the power to make a reservation and the young lad was practically glowing with happiness, his eyes constantly on the pretty girl who followed him quietly. The attendant smiled, watching the boy pull out the girl's chair for her and how she blushed at the simple gesture, and then how the boy eagerly took his own seat, glancing around at the restaurant and then back at the girl to check her reaction.

'He is trying so hard, it must be a date,' the worker thought, his exhaustion from his work day fading slightly as he watched the boy smile at nothing more than the image of the girl across from him. Regrettably though he could not observe the scene forever, remembering himself and offering to take their coats as they got settled.

"Oh, uh yes t-thank you," the girl stuttered, and with a small smile the worker realized she must not be used to places like this. He felt a surge of pride for the boy he didn't know. If he wanted to make an impression than a five star fine dining experience was certainly the way to go.

The two teens removed their jackets, only the thoroughness of the attendants training keeping him from laughing at how the boy flushed immediately upon seeing the girls dress for presumably the first time.

'So adorable,' he thought, silently amused as he was forced to leave, taking the coats and leaving behind menus.

'Ah… woah. Crap,' Adrien though helplessly, glad that Marinette was momentarily distracted by her surroundings and wasn't looking at him so he could panic in peace.

She was wearing, in essence, a simple dress. It was an off shoulder cut and hugged her in a way that was flattering without being skin tight, ending just above the knee. It was tailored to her perfectly, and was a deep scarlet red that looked perfect on her, as he had often thought when he saw her as ladybug. There were no fancy designs or over the top sequins, just the gentle shimmer of the fabric he had no name for, and it looked amazing. Just… the cut, and the diamonds and the curl of her hair. He didn't exactly blame himself for getting caught staring, but it didn't mean he wasn't embarrassed.

"Ah I-I'm sorry what were you saying?" he was frying in his chair, now victim to her teasing gaze, but ultimately she looked flattered.

"I was _saying_ " she laughed, looking around again, "this place is amazing. I've never seen such an intricate chandelier before."

"Y-yeah uh it's pretty nice um," he was trying to recover his perfect confidence from before but it was utterly lost to him now, her playful smile only aiding in his ruin. "I've never been here before myself, but I've heard good things."

"My parents tried to come here once for their anniversary but it was booked over the entire month when they called. I'll be honest," she said, looking at the menu for the first time, "I don't really recognize any of this."

She smiled at him, trying to ease his nerves with a joke and only smiling wider when he shot her a grateful look.

Adrien looked through the menu himself for a second before closing it again and shrugging, saying, "After being to enough places like this I've learned to just say 'Whatever the chef recommends' and leaving it at that. Much less work, and it usually turns out well anyways."

Marinette breathed a laugh, closing her own menu and setting it back on the table.

"Sounds easy enough, I think I'll do the same thing."

Their attendant returned then. "What drinks can I get for you?"

"Just water is fine," Adrien answered simply, putting the menu to the side.

"Iced tea, thank you," Marinette nodded graciously, wholly unsure of herself.

"And the two of us will just take whatever the chef recommends for the night," Adrien added, smiling at the waiter and was pleased to earn a surprisingly genuine smile in return.

"Of course sir, perhaps an appetizer along the same vein?"

"Marinette?" Adrien asked, referring to the girl, who nodded quickly without thinking much on it. "Yes that would be nice, thank you."

"It will be out shortly."

The worker left with a smile, returning to his gossip with some of the others working the tables near him, following his friend into the back while saying, "Did you see them? It's ridiculous, that kid is more committed than I've ever been in my life and he is like twelve, easy."

"That boy has his love life more together than I ever have and I'm forty five damn it," his coworker responded, moving into the back and lowering his voice as he passed their supervisor.

A hostess passed them then, whispering, "Those two who came in? The Agreste boy? I know right! It's adorable he looks so excited!"

Another hostess stopped, pretending to look through something and saying over her shoulder, "God the girl as well! It's so cute she looks like she's going to burst. I was worried they would be snots like half the other rich kids who come here but they couldn't be sweeter it's like a sitcom."

The original worker spoke up, keeping an eye out for their manager. "They just ordered whatever as well, they obviously don't care about the dinner they just want to talk I can't even believe it. This random rich kid has more game in his freaking finger than I have in my whole body."

"It's not game," the first hostess scowled, "he is obviously in love with her just look at him!"

The four of them looked out the window set in the door looking into the dining area at the young couple sat directly under the largest chandelier. The boy was saying something, most likely a joke, and the girl was blushing delicately, giggling into her hand. The way he looked at her was so heavy with earnest emotion it made the woman sigh and the men groan.

"He looks nervous too though," the attendant responsible for their table spoke up, "what's a good appetizer? I want to help him out."

.

Adrien was absorbed, watching as Marinette talked about her family. He wanted to know everything, and he kept asking questions, genuinely interested in all the details.

"My dad has worked as a baker for a long time and my mom used to own another business when they met. They banded together to run the bakery we have now," she stated simply, smiling at the waiter when he brought her the iced tea and taking a sip from it.

"Are you going to inherit the bakery when you're older or did you want to pursue fashion design still?"

Marinette thought about it for a moment before shaking her head. "No my parents have always been really supportive, I think they plan to run the bakery themselves for as long as they can and let me do what I want. I've always felt sort of bad though… it's the family bakery and I'm their only child. I really hope they give it to one of my cousins or something so that it stays in the family, but I know they wouldn't want me to give up on being a designer for it."

She felt a little embarrassed by how intently he was staring at her, something he seemed to notice since he chuckled nervously and leaned back in his seat.

She held off asking what he wanted to do when he grew up, not wanting to bring him down with thoughts of what his overbearing father might expect of him, so she instead asked randomly, "Have you traveled a lot?"

Adrien was surprised by the abrupt change in subject, but was glad to escape having to talk about his family. "Yes an awful lot, mostly for modeling and photoshoots and occasionally along with my father on important business trips. New York city was one of my favorites, I stayed there with a summer when I was ten while my father worked with a company on some big project. I've been there several times since then but never for as long. I stayed for a few weeks in Shanghai once, and I've been all over for just a few days. Greece, Mexico, Germany, Russia, all sorts."

Marinette was smiling hugely, her eyes looking like they were full of stars. "Wow Shanghai! I've always wanted to go, my mother has family there but we've never had the chance. I've been to America once myself for a wedding, I got to go to Los Angeles. It was amazing and very different, I'd love to go again sometime though. What was New York like?"

Adrien began to talk animatedly about the city and Marinette only became distracted from the vivid story telling a few times. She couldn't help it when it happened, her eyes would be following some hand gesture of his and trail along his arm, looking at his well-tailored outfit and taking him in against the backdrop of the restaurant. It was a dream made reality, Adrien looking at her and speaking with her casually on their first date, his handsome face alive with energy and his perfect green eyes sparkling with his happiness. Sometimes while he spoke he would seem more Cat Noir than Adrien, and other times more Adrien then her superhero ally. However mostly he was just a perfect mix of the two, and the more he spoke the more she realized there really was no escape. Everything she had ever loved about those two boys collapsed into one person, each mannerism and shift in tone making her heart skip. She was grateful that he was her tomcat that Adrien was the one behind the mask, because she couldn't imagine anything more perfect than this.

.

It was easy.

All his worrying and fretting and it was almost effortless to go through with. A few times while they talked he would catch her looking at him with pink in her cheeks, and he realized he would pay anything to know what made her blush and look away. She laughed at his jokes, or groaned at his puns, and each time she smiled it was just a little harder to breathe normally. It didn't feel like she was faking it either, it really did look like she was having a nice time.

 _'Are you seriously still doubting whether or not she's interested man come on. She cares about you! Get over it already, stop being so surprised.'_

His thoughts were interrupted when the appetizer arrived, a gourmet unnamable fancy… something. Adrien realized he probably should know better, but high end food had never really captured his interest. What _did_ catch his interest thought was the waiter who was offering him an extra cloth napkin with a smile that seemed more than just polite professionalism.

"Uh, sure? Thanks."

Adrien took it and felt something like paper wrapped up inside, the waiter giving him a wink and leaving while Marinette was distracted trying to decide what the food in front of her was. To play it safe Adrien lowered the napkin in his lap and unfolded it out of sight, doing his best to listen to his girlfriend but was thoroughly occupied with the note written on a scrap of paper.

'We're all rooting for you buddy you're doing great don't be nervous. If you need anything, special menus, desserts, a change in music let one of the workers know and we'll make it happen.'

Adrien choked on nothing in particular, his head shooting up like he had been pricked with something sharp and immediately scanning the area. He noticed right away that some of the workers were glancing his way, keeping an eye on his table. Even the freaking chef was looking through the window that lead into the kitchen, giving him a thumbs up of encouragement.

' _When did I get a cheer squad!? Have they been watching us the whole time?'_

"Uh it's some sort of cheese I think," Adrien tried to participate in Marinette's speculation, but his face was burning and she quirked an eyebrow but ultimately left him alone about it.

He had to admit, even if it was kind of embarrassing it was also… strangely comforting? For no reason at all basically every employee there was supporting him. Was it that obvious he had been nervous? Maybe that was just the sort of extra mile service you got in high end places but… it felt way more human than that, like everyone just genuinely wanted to see him succeed.

He refocused when he heard Marinette make a vague noise of approval, and he realized she had tried whatever they had been served.

"It is cheese you're right, or at least mostly cheese and something else. Should I give some to Plagg?"

"Oh, uh yeah he would probably like that make sure it's not too hot though. He'll eat it without checking and burn himself."

Marinette laughed at his concern, and her mature beauty struck him again, making his heart falter in its steady tempo. He held on to the note tightly though, grateful for the support from complete strangers.

Marinette looked around to make sure no one was looking at her purse before opening the top and lowering in a square of zested expensive cheese coated bread. It was immediately stolen from her with an excited squeal she had to cough to cover up, the black kwami only visible for a moment before he was pulled back inside along with his treat by Tikki.

"How are they? I bet they're bored but it can't be helped really," Adrien said vaguely, trying to distract himself from the excited smiles aimed at the two of them from every worker in their area.

"They seem fine, the cheese should tide Plagg over at least for a little while. I left some cookies in there for Tikki as well, and I'm sure she's busy keeping him in check." She smiled and laughed good naturedly, finding it amusing how genuinely apologetic Adrien looked.

"He can be pretty unbearable sometimes, sorry you've got to deal with him now. It's sort of a package deal though," he laughed nervously, grinning in an uneasy way that made her giggle.

"I don't mind it, I think he's funny."

"He thinks he's funny too."

They shared a laugh at that, and Marinette was a little entertained that she was the mediator for their date in a way she hadn't expected to be. She figured she would be the one fraying at the edges with nerves and Cat, well Adrien, would be the one keeping it together but it was the opposite. She found it surprisingly easy as well, to smile and laugh in a way that made him more comfortable.

How cute that in the end it was the tomcat who was the ball of nerves. Not that she was exactly out of the woods herself, but still, it was easier than she had expected.

Their conversation evolved and flowed in a way that reminded her most of their patrols late at night. He would make some terrible joke that she would tease him about, and they would fall easily into light, fun banter. Cat Noir was an effortless person to be friends with, it was just his way, and in the end an effortless person to fall for as well.

He was so sweet as well… it was adorable. At one point she had remarked that string music was a favorite of hers when some had started to play from somewhere in the restaurant, and not long after he had slipped away to use the restroom that was almost all that exclusively played for the rest of the night. He denied it when she asked but she was positive that he had something to do with it. She was going to have to watch out for too much gift giving in the future… the stupid cat would run his wallet through if she didn't stop it.

Eventually their food arrived and she caught a conspirator's wink traded between the waiter and a grateful looking Adrien, but she was soon too distracted with the extravagance of their food to question it. It was seafood, salmon she believed, but so artfully prepared it had other guests looking over to find out what it was. It was presented in such a show of sauces and sides that she wracked her brain trying to find out where on the menu it had even been.

"Excuse me, sir," she called a little hesitantly to a passing worker, one who seemed all too pleased to stop for her.

"Yes Madame?"

"I was just wondering, what is this called?"

The worker beamed happily at her, saying, "It doesn't actually have a name Madame it was prepared as an original dish specifically for the two of you."

"Wait seriously?" Adrien spoke up, and Marinette was surprised to see the shock on his face. He hadn't planned it?

"Yes sir, no extra charge. It is in celebration of your um special night." This worker gave a wink of his own before vanishing, leaving a stunned blushing Adrien with a stunned blushing Marinette.

"W-wow you really went for the whole nine yards kitten," she stammered, but raised an eyebrow when he shook his head.

"No um, I'll be honest the staff is just sort of… enthusiastic," he chuckled almost self-consciously.

The two of them became fairly absorbed in their food, and once that was done, in each other once again. Sometimes when one of them was talking the other would become so engrossed that the one speaking would trail off without noticing, and the two of them would just lock eyes until the realized in unison that the conversation had petered off. They would do the same thing every time, laugh a little nervously, stare a little more, and then try their best to pick up where they left off. After a while it became easier to ignore the staff, and the other diners, and every other living soul.

"Did you want dessert My Lady?" he asked, their post dinner conversation having already stretched an hour on its own. She was so easy to get lost in, they had just sat with empty table in front of them for ages.

"Um no, honestly what I really want is maybe um…"

Adrien tilted his head when she got quiet, a blush on her face as she shook her head.

"Never mind I'm sorry-"

"No say it! Whatever you want I want this to be perfect."

His heart faltered when she looked up at him through her lashes, a small smile on her face.

"It's already been perfect Adrien."

She took a deep breath, seeming to collect herself and unable to quite look at him.

"I-I know we just spent hours and hours together, but, if you wanted, once I'm home and my parents fall asleep. Did you maybe want to go out again, but with the masks this time?"

Adrien was silent for a moment, before a huge grin broke out across his face.

"I can't think of anything I'd rather do more darling. We can do whatever you like, have a race around Paris, or sit on top of the tower. I'll spend every night and day with you if you'll let me my lady."

He realized his heart was racing again and he silently wondered why agreeing to something so simple felt so… official. So final. Like taking her hand and diving out into the cold night was the one last thing he needed to do to make her really his. He hadn't see her yet, as Ladybug, not since Chloe's akuma attack. Now the sky was finally clear though, the rain had stopped and his heart belonged to her more completely than it ever had before. He could see it, stretching out in front of him like the dream he had always longed for. Cat Noir and Ladybug together at last, racing over the rooftops, stealing kisses in the moonlight. Every sappy love struck daydream he had ever had was finally coming true in the most roundabout hilarious way.

He knew it was her, that she was his ladybug sitting across from him, staring at him with that overwhelmingly powerful strength in her eyes. Marinette was his lady, his lady was Marinette, but having Ladybug sneak out her window late at night to see _him_ , to run to him, to chase him down through the streets to hold him… god it was everything he had ever wanted.

"We won't be doing anything so… active kitten. I haven't forgotten about your injuries," she smirked at his obvious disappointment. "But we can go out, and a little light climbing should do you good anyways. Sound fun?"

He smirked at her, his heart bursting with every 'I Love You' he was smart enough to save. So instead, he said it in his own way, in a way that would have to do for now.

"Sounds perfect."

.

.

If you were awake in the very early AM's on one Paris morning you might have heard the steady background thrum of lights and generators and heaters working diligently throughout the city, and you might have heard a pair of high ringing laughs slowly strolling along the rooftops. And if you had been looking out your window, past the bright glowing clock on your nightstand stating a practiced "3:46 AM" on its face, you might have seen two figures arm in arm walking slowly through the night.

If you had kept watching you might have recognized them as the two heroes of Paris, pausing at the edge of a neighborhood in a spot they frequented for their patrols. And if you had kept watching still, you might have seen the gentle way with which they regarded each other, and the way they drew close and slowly reached out.

You might have even seen them kiss.

.

 **((Unfortunately, I feel it is time to draw this story line to a close : ) if in the future I find the inspiration to play more with the way things develop, the first I love you, the reveals for Nino and Alya, I will be sure to add more! But for now I think this is enough. I have other LadyNoir stories I wish to toy with, and if you have any prompts please feel free to go to my tumblr, .com , and submit them! I have seen questions about their winter outfits, I might do a one shot with them in the future but since they were mostly a plot device I did not see reason to tie them back in. The designs are available on my tumblr if you were curious to see them. Thank you very much for reading : ) ))**


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